SORROW, JOY, AND SHILOH

The American Civil War brought many emotions. None stood out more than sorrow. Sorrow lurked around every corner and touched every soul during the War Between the States ~ civilian, soldier, slave, young, and old. Sorrow could be found on a battle list of wounded, dead, and missing. Sorrow rained from the sky in the form of tears from God on a battlefield…after the fighting was over.

So much was lost, but so much was gained during this difficult 4 years in our country’s history. When I stand on a battlefield, here on our home soil, I feel sorrow for those who sacrificed everything, but I also feel the joy of freedom that walks hand in hand from what their sacrifices and lessons left us—and future generations. These two feelings entwine in my heart as read about each war our country engaged—today and yesterday. We must remember the hard lessons we’ve learned from this particularly devastating war, and every war…or sorrow will flow like blood throughout the land once more.  

Between you, me and the gatepost,

Loree Huebner

CIVIL WAR MOVIE TRIVIA!

Most people have seen a movie with the Civil War as a back drop, or as the main story. At the bottom of this post, there are some Civil War Movie Trivia questions. Have fun! Test your knowledge! Some of them are from old time movies. Let me know how you did.

Now let’s drift back in time 150 years for this month’s Civil War Bivouac on Shiloh:

The Battle of Shiloh

In the first quarter of 1862, Federal victories at Mill Springs, Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, and Pea Ridge had restored most of Kentucky, Missouri, and Tennessee to the Union. Confederate forces were demoralized, while Union fortunes were inversely triumphant. To many, it seemed that one more, hard blow would crush the Confederacy. New and greater combinations were being prepared by the Union to end the rebellion.

Ulysses S Grant and his Army of the Tennessee were camped near Pittsburg Landing, just above the great bend of the Tennessee River. Don Carlos Buell was marching his Army of the Ohio from Nashville to join Grant. Their combined force would no doubt be able to take the vital rail junction at Corinth, turn west and take Memphis, or strike east toward Chattanooga.

CSA General Albert Sydney Johnston and his second in command, P. G. T. Beauregard saw the situation clearly enough. The one hope was to strike Grant’s army a devastating blow before it could be reinforced by Buell’s army. Rebel forces were rushed to Corinth from the Pensacola, New Orleans, and the Trans-Mississippi to reinforce the remnants of Johnston’s army from Kentucky and Tennessee. The combined force would give the Southerners numerical parity, if not an advantage over Grant’s army. The plan was to launch a surprise attack and destroy Grant’s army by driving it into the Tennessee River or Owl Creek.

Both armies were raw. Some of the men barely knew how to fire their muskets. The march from Corinth to Pittsburg Landing took so long that many of the Confederates had consumed all of their rations. The eager young rebels fired their weapons and made such a racket that Beauregard wanted to call off the attack. Johnston was indomitable, saying “I would fight them if they were a million.”

At dawn April 6, 1862 the Rebels attacked, catching the Federals unprepared. Sledgehammer attacks captured the Union camps and the raw soldiers of both armies stood to their work with obstinacy. Ordinary places on that field took on names terrible to remember, The Hornet’s Nest, the Peach Orchard, Bloody Pond, and Shiloh Church. 


Over 2,000 Federal soldiers were captured en masse after a bitter struggle for the Hornet’s Nest. At a crucial point in the battle, CSA commanding General A. S. Johnston was mortally wounded and afterward the offensive became less effective. As night fell, the Federal received heavy reinforcements as Lew Wallace’s division and Buell’s army began to arrive. On Sunday, April 7 the Union forces recaptured the lost ground and the Rebels retreated to Corinth.

The battle of Shiloh was a shock to the nation as 23,000 men were killed wounded, or missing. In 2 days of fighting there had been more casualties than the United States had suffered in all of its wars up to that point COMBINED. Strangely the battle was named for a church—Shiloh, which means “place of peace.” General Grant wrote that after this battle he was sure that the war would only be won through the subjugation of the South. It was said that the South “never smiled again” after Shiloh.

Until we meet again,

Eric J Huebner

Civil War Movie Trivia ~ questions written by Eric and Loree Huebner

1 Name the 1956 movie, set in Indiana, starring Gary Cooper and Dorothy McGuire, about a Quaker family struggling with duty, love, and faith in the face of a looming Rebel cavalry raid.

2 Name the actress who won “Best Actress in a Supporting Role” for her brilliant portrayal of, Mammy, in Gone With The Wind.

3 Who directed the 1951 version of The Red Badge of Courage?

4 Name the 1989, four-star, Civil War movie that won Denzel Washington an Oscar for “Best Supporting Actor.”

5 Name the 1959 cavalry movie, directed by John Ford, staring John Wayne and William Holden. It would be Ford’s only feature set during the Civil War, and roughly based on actual accounts.

6 Kevin Costner won “Best Director” for Dances With Wolves. He also starred in the film as a Civil War soldier. Name his Character.

7 Name the actor who played General Stonewall Jackson in 2003’s Civil War epic, God’s and Generals.

8 Name the 1941 cavalry classic, starring Errol Flynn and Olivia De Havilland, about the flamboyant, General George Custer.

9 Who directed the 2002 Civil War era film, The Gangs of New York, starring Leonardo De Caprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Cameron Diaz?

10 What 1957 film largely set in Indiana, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift, was a MGM attempt to create a blockbuster, northern, Gone With The Wind?

STOP – THE ANSWERS ARE BELOW THE FOLLOWING PICTURE!

Shiloh's Opposing Generals
General U. S. Grant and General A. S. Johnston

1 Friendly Persuasion

2 Hattie McDaniel  ~ she was 44 when she won the Oscar, and she was also the first African American to win an Oscar.

3 John Huston

4 Glory  ~  one of my favorite CW movies!

5 The Horse Soldiers  ~  my favorite John Wayne movie!

6 Lt. John Dunbar

7 Actor, Stephan Lang  ~  he also played General George Pickett in the 1993 movie, Gettysburg…the first movie in the series.

8 They Died With Their Boots On

9 Martin Socrsese

10 Raintree County